Program Director, Healthcare
Salary

Nearly three in five of Healthcare Program Directors in the United States have been in the field for more than 10 years. Pay can fall anywhere from $40K to $121K per year, but median earnings come to around $71K annually. Geographic location is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by years of experience. Female Healthcare Program Directors make up most of the survey respondents at 78 percent. Most report receiving medical coverage from their employers and a strong majority collect dental insurance. Most Healthcare Program Directors like their work and job satisfaction is high. The numbers in this rundown were provided by PayScale's salary survey participants.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Job Description for Program Director, Healthcare

Hospitals and surgical facilities are often large institutions with many specialties working together to ensure overall patient health. The healthcare program director acts as a sort of department manager, supervising a significant portion of the hospital's operations, coordinating the activities of individuals working within those departments, and cooperating with other departments to accomplish tasks that require collaboration. The program manager may directly supervise employees or delegate these duties to lower-level supervisors. Some program managers oversee certain operational aspects (such as managing personnel or patient records systems) instead of specific departments.

A bachelor's degree in a relevant field is generally required for this position, and most employers require a minimum of five years of related experience. The program manager must be an effective communicator, especially in situations that are stressful and/or dangerous. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are essential as well. The program manager must receive regular continuing education to keep abreast of developments in laws, regulations, and best practices, as well as insurance and recordkeeping; if necessary, they must promptly ensure that changes are implemented to organizational practices. Healthcare program directors should be able to work effectively in a team setting, as well as on their own with minimal supervision.

Program Director, Healthcare Tasks

Train, oversee, and coordinate program staff and communicate with external contacts.

Common Career Paths for Program Director, Healthcare

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Healthcare Program Directors who transition into an upper level Executive Director position will not necessarily make much more than they do in their current role. The average Executive Director makes $74K a year. A Healthcare Program Director may also move into a role as an Non-Profit Executive Director or a Clinical Services Director.

Program Director, Healthcare Job Listings

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Popular Skills for Program Director, Healthcare

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Healthcare Program Directors seem to require a number of specific skills. Most notably, facility with Budget Management, Operations Management, and Program Management are correlated to pay that is significantly above average, leading to increases of 25 percent, 18 percent, and 9 percent, respectively. Most people who know Operations Management also know Budget Management and Clinical Supervision.

Pay by Experience Level for Program Director, Healthcare

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

Experience does not seem to be a strong driver of pay increase in this role. Survey participants with less than five years' experience pocket $57K on average, but those with five to 10 years of experience enjoy a much bigger median of $68K. The average pay reported by folks with 10 to 20 years of experience is around $78K. Healthcare Program Directors who surpass 20 years on the job report pay that isn't as high as one would expect; the median compensation for this crowd sits around $79K.